JP2006164275A - System and directional input device for displaying images in a plurality of directions - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To unify a directional input device and a display-directional control for a computer system, having a plurality of display directions. <P>SOLUTION: The computer system is provided with a processor to form a renderable image in a first direction, a display 202 indicating the image in the first direction, and the directional input device 218 having an orientation indicator to indicating a movable direction between a first position related to the first image direction and a second position related to a second image direction. The orientation indicator provides a visual support of the image direction indicated on the display 202. The orientation indicator is movable between the first position, related to the first image direction and the second position, related to the second image direction. The processor forms the renderable image to a second direction, and the display 202 shows the image to the second direction, responding to the orientation indicator to indicate the direction moving from the first position to the second position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a computer processing and information manipulation technique for a system and a direction input device for displaying an image in a plurality of orientations, and more particularly to a direction input device and a display screen image orientation relating to a corresponding display orientation. It is about changing. The present invention also has applications in computing devices having displays with multiple modes and directional input devices such as mouse wheels or touchpads.

  A typical computer system, in particular a computer system that uses a graphical user interface (GUI) system, such as the Applicant's Windows, has one or more keyboards for entering text and one for driving the user interface. Optimized to receive user input from one or more other input devices such as a pointing device such as a mouse having a plurality of buttons. Common keyboard and mouse interfaces allow for rapid creation and modification of documents, spreadsheets, database fields, drawings, photographs, and the like.

  Some computer systems allow a user to write on a screen using, for example, a stylus. For example, the Applicant's Reader application allows electronic ink to be added to a document in the same way that a user writes with standard pen and paper. Most portable computing devices, commonly known as personal digital assistants (PDAs), allow users to write on the screen. Most of these portable computing devices rotate 90 degrees relative to each other, such as portrait mode (portrait mode) and landscape mode (landscape mode). Designed to support electronic display switching between modes with two orientations.

  Some of these stylus input systems are designed for use with and without an auxiliary input device such as a keyboard or mouse. These auxiliary input devices include a directional input device such as a scroll wheel, and are effective for scrolling an image displayed in a linear direction. However, such directional input devices have limited performance in order to operate in both display directions. They are typically arranged for default display orientations such as portrait mode and do not work very well in alternate display modes.

  The orientation of these dual-mode displays can be switched via soft keys or selection of appropriate menu commands. However, these known switch mechanisms have undesirable complexity and do not provide the user with a quick and easy way to switch between display directions. In addition, these systems lack instructions that easily identify the current orientation of the display. Instead, they rely on the user recognizing the image on the display to determine its current direction.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to change the orientation of the image on the display screen and display the image in a plurality of orientations and the orientation of the corresponding display. It is to provide a direction input device.

  The present invention solves one or more of the problems described above, thereby providing better integration of the directional input device and display orientation control of a computer system having multiple display orientations. The present invention also includes a direction input device that automatically changes the direction of the display based on the change in the direction of the direction input device. Furthermore, the present invention includes a movable direction input device that indicates the state of the display direction. Furthermore, a movable direction input device that indicates the state of the direction of the display is provided. It also includes indicators, physical features and sensors that provide related functionality.

  Further included is a method for switching the direction of a renderable image on a display screen from a first direction to a second direction. Computer-executable instructions for performing the disclosed methods are also stored on computer-readable media. These will be described with reference to the drawings and related descriptions.

  The present invention relates to switching the direction of a display and a direction input device related thereto. This specification is divided into items for assisting understanding. These classifications are divided into the following: term, general-purpose computer environment, direction and display direction control of direction input device, and direction input device.

<Terminology>
Direction input device; means an input device for receiving user input to change the display in a substantially linear direction using a graphical user interface (GUI) such as Microsoft Windows. The input device can receive a user input device for changing the display in various linear directions. The display change is selected by the user by scrolling the document, moving the cursor on the display in the selected linear direction, and moving the selected item shown on the display in the selected linear direction. Scanning the displayed content shown on the display in a linear direction. The direction input device includes a scroll wheel, a trackball, a sweep sensor, and a touch pad.

  Document; means an electronic file with visual expression and content. Documents include web pages, word processing documents, notebook pages or pads, spreadsheets, visual presentations, database records, image files, and combinations thereof.

  Optical transmission; partial and complete transparency, allowing light to penetrate freely or diffusely.

  Orientation indicator; means a device for indicating the display orientation state of a computing device.

  Scan; means moving the contents of the display to show the parts of the content that do not fit on the display.

  Scroll; means that the display content is scanned in a substantially linear direction.

  System state: means a temporary state, posture, shape or information content of a computing device. The system state is a system state that includes a sleep shape, an error state, a low power state, a display orientation state, a human contact surface or a human touching proximity sensor.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<General-purpose computer environment>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a typical general purpose digital computing environment that can be used to implement various aspects of the present invention. The computer 100 includes a processing unit 110, a system memory 120, and a system bus 130 that couples various system components including the system memory to the processing unit 110. The system bus 130 is a different type of bus structure including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using various bus architectures. The system memory 120 includes a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM) 150.

  A basic input / output system (BIOS) 160 is stored in ROM 140 that contains basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer 100 as it is being started. Also, the computer 100 can read from or write to a hard disk, a hard disk drive 170, a magnetic disk drive 180 to read from or write to a removable magnetic disk 190, a CD-ROM or other And an optical disc drive 191 for reading from or writing to a removable optical disc 162 such as an optical medium. The hard disk drive 170, the magnetic disk drive 180, and the optical disk drive 191 are connected to the system bus 130 by a hard disk drive interface 192, a magnetic disk drive interface 193, and an optical disk drive interface 194, respectively. The drives and their associated computer readable media provide non-volatile storage of computer readable instructions, data instructions, program modules and other data for the personal computer 100. Other types of computer readable that can store computer accessible data such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital video disks, Bernoulli cartridges, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), etc. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various media can also be used in the illustrated operating environment.

  A number of program modules are stored in the operating system 195, one or more application programs 196, other program modules 197 and hard disk drives 170 containing program data 198, magnetic disks 190, optical disks 162, ROM 140 or RAM 150. be able to. A user may enter commands and information into the computer 100 through input devices such as a keyboard 101 and pointing device or other input device 102. Other input devices (not shown) include a direction input device, a microphone, a joystick, a game pad, a satellite dish, a scanner, and the like. These and other input devices are often coupled to the processing unit 110 via a serial port interface 106 connected to the system bus, but connected by other interfaces such as a parallel port or universal serial bus (UBS). Can be done. In addition, these devices are directly connected to the system bus 130 via a suitable interface (not shown). A monitor 107 or other type of display device is connected to the system bus 130 via an interface, such as a video adapter 108. Typically, a personal computer can include other peripheral output devices (not shown) such as speakers and printers in addition to a monitor.

  In one embodiment, a pen digitizer 165 and an auxiliary pen or stylus 166 are provided to digitally capture freehand input. Although a direct connection between the pen digitizer 165 and the serial port interface 106 is shown, in practice, the pen digitizer 165 is directly connected to the processing unit 110 by a technique including wireless, a parallel port or other interface and system. Connected to the bus 130. The pen 166 includes a transceiver for wirelessly transmitting images captured by the camera to an interface that interacts with the camera and bus 130 associated with the pen. In addition, the pen may have other detection systems in addition to or instead of a camera for determining the stroke of electronic ink, including accelerometers, magnetometers and gyroscopes.

  Further, although the digitizer 165 is shown separated from the monitor 107, the usable input area of the digitizer 165 is on the same plane as the display area of the monitor 107. Further, the digitizer 165 may be integrated into the monitor 107, overlaps the monitor 107, or may exist as an attached separation device.

  Computer 100 may operate in a network environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as remote computer 109. The remote computer 109 is a server, router, network PC, peer device or other common network node and is a large number or all of the components described above for the computer 100, but only the memory mechanism device 111 is shown in FIG. Has been. The logical connection shown in FIG. 1 includes a local area network (LAN) 112 and a wide area network (WAN) 113. Such a network environment is common to offices, enterprise networks, intranets and the Internet.

  When the computer 100 is used in a LAN network environment, the computer 100 is connected to a local network 112 through a network or adapter 114. When used in a WAN network environment, the personal computer 100 includes a modem 115 or other means for establishing communications over a wide area network 113 such as the Internet. An internal or external modem 115 is connected to the system bus 130 via the serial port interface 106. In the network environment, the program modules shown for the personal computer 100 or parts thereof are stored in a remote memory / storage device. Further, the system may include wired and / or wireless capabilities. For example, the network interface 114 includes combining capabilities of Bluetooth, SWLan, and / or IEEE 802.11 classes. Other wireless communication protocols can be used in conjunction with or instead of these protocols.

  The network connections shown are exemplary and other techniques for establishing a connection link between the computers can be used. The existence of any of a variety of known protocols such as TCP / IP, Ethernet, FTP, HTTP, etc. is assumed and the client server's server to allow users to retrieve web pages from the web-based server. The system can be operated in a configuration. Various conventional web browsers can be used to display and manipulate data on the web page.

  FIG. 2A is a plan view of a stylus-based computer having a first display orientation according to the present invention, illustrating an exemplary tablet PC that can be used in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. . Any or all of the features, subsystems, and functions of the system shown in FIG. 1 are included in the computer shown in FIG. 2A. The tablet PC 201 includes a housing 220 and a digitizing display screen (display) 202, for example, a digitizing flat display, preferably a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen on which a plurality of windows are displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 2A, a single window displaying a text document 208, a vertical scroll bar 210, a horizontal scroll bar 212, a header menu 214 and a toolbar 216 is shown. A text document 208 is also shown in a first direction, such as in portrait mode.

  The user selects, highlights and writes to the digitizing display screen 202 using the stylus 204. Examples of suitable digitizing display screens 202 include electromagnetic pen digitizers such as Mutoh or Waco pen digitizers. Other types of pen digitizers, such as an optical digitizer, can also be used. Tablet PC 201 was created using stylus 204 to manipulate data, enter text, create drawings and / or perform conventional computer application tasks such as spreadsheets, word processing programs, etc. Interpret gesture mode. The stylus 204 may include one or more buttons or other features to discuss its selection capabilities. In one embodiment, the stylus 204 is implemented as a “pencil” or “pen”, one end of which is a writing part and the other part constitutes an eraser, and when the eraser crosses the display, to erase. Area 205 represents a feedback area or contact area where the user can determine where the stylus 204 is in contact with the display screen 202. In addition, the user's own finger becomes the stylus 204 and is used to select or display the portion of the image displayed on the touch or proximity sensitive display. As a result, the term “user input device” as used herein has a broad and well-known definition, such as stylus 204, and is intended to have numerous variations.

  Other types of directional input devices such as a mouse, trackball, scroll wheel, fingerprint reader, touchpad, sweep sensor can be used with the tablet PC 201. One or more of these directional input devices may be integrated with the tablet PC 201 or may exist separately. For example, FIG. 2A shows an integrated scroll wheel device (direction input device) 218 disposed in the vicinity of the corner of the tablet PC 201. By rotating the scroll wheel of the scroll wheel device 218, the text of the text document 208 can be scrolled up and down, which can be tracked by the vertical scroll bar 210. Furthermore, the scroll wheel device 218 may be a multi-directional scroll wheel that can be tilted laterally in a direction perpendicular to the roll direction of the wheel. Thus, the side tilt of the scroll wheel device 218 is scrolled when the text of the text document 208 is tracked sideways by the horizontal scroll bar 212.

  In various embodiments, the system provides an ink platform as a set of COM (Component Object Model) services that an application can use to capture, manipulate, and store ink. One service allows an application to read and write ink using the disclosed representation of ink. The ink platform also includes markup languages including languages such as Extensible Markup Language (XML). In addition, the system can use DCOM as in other embodiments. Other embodiments including the Win32 program model and the Net programming model can be used from the present applicant.

<Direction control of direction input device and display direction>
2B is a plan view of the stylus-based computer shown in FIG. 2A having a second display direction according to the present invention. As described above, the tablet PC 201 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B includes the direction input device 218 that changes between a plurality of directions. The user can change the direction of the direction input device 218 so that the input device can provide a direction input that matches the desired direction. In one embodiment, when the user changes the direction of the direction input device 218, the display 202 automatically changes its direction to match the changed direction of the direction input device 218. Flexibility to view the display on a computing device by allowing both the display 202 and the associated directional input device 218 to change their direction, or to interact well with them in various display directions To the user. Thus, for tablet PC 201, display 202 is oriented by the user in a desired mode (eg, by portrait or landscape), and direction input device 218 is enabled for direction input device 218 to navigate display 202. The direction is determined correspondingly to enable proper use. Two display modes, known as portraits or landscapes, are mainly described here, but many different display directions are also provided. Similarly, multiple directional input orientations are provided to match the various display modes.

  The display 202 of the tablet PC 201 has a width that is greater than or equal to its length, or conversely, has an unbalanced aspect ratio that depends on the 202 direction of the display. Because multiple image, document, and information displays are wider than all of them, the unbalanced aspect ratio of display 202 is advantageous for displaying them in landscape mode. Other image, document, and information displays are higher than their width and are more advantageous than displaying in the portrait mode of display 202. It is also used in other electronic systems adapted for embodiments of the present invention, including personal digital assistance (PDAs), mobile computers and personal computers. Tablet PC 202 supports display switching between portrait mode and landscape mode as used for the characteristics of the information displayed. This is advantageous for entering information via the stylus 204 in one direction or the other depending on various characteristics such as the type of information used. For other computing systems embodying the present invention, it is advantageous that small displays such as those used with PDAs, portable navigation devices, cellular phones, etc. can change their orientation. For such small displays, switching between modes can improve the display of various types of information. To improve information display navigation, tablet PC 201 and other systems for use with the present invention include a directional input device 218, such as a scroll wheel device, that can support scrolling of the information display.

  The scroll display 202 using the directional input device 218 is very effective for display orientations that generally match the input direction of the directional input. However, such scrolling is not effective for display directions that do not match the direction input. For example, a scroll wheel that rotates in a plane arranged parallel to the height of the corresponding display is very effective for navigating vertically in the document shown thereon. As one example, the scroll wheel device 218 shown in FIG. 2A is useful to scroll vertically within the text of the text document 208 while the document is facing in portrait mode. However, if the display rotates 90 ° to show it in portrait mode without changing the direction of the scroll wheel device 218, the scroll wheel will scroll horizontally within the rotated text of the document 208. It is not very effective to do. Thus, a directional input device that cannot be used to change in the display is very effective in one display, but is also not very effective for the direction of the second display as well.

  FIG. 2B shows the tablet PC 201 whose display has changed from the first direction (eg, portrait mode) shown in FIG. 2A to the second direction (eg, landscape mode). In landscape mode, the scroll wheel device 218 shown in FIG. 2B is effective for scrolling vertically within the text document 208 by the vertical scroll bar 210. However, in the display orientation position shown in FIG. 2A, the scroll wheel device 218 oriented as shown in FIG. 2B has only limited effectiveness for horizontally scrolling the portrait of the text document 208. ing.

  This is useful even if the scroll wheel device 218 can receive input to deform the display in a linear direction (eg, a tilt wheel device) arranged at right angles. This is because the second input direction is not well suited for providing direction control commands, which are generally the main input directions, for example, a tilt wheel device moves the display to the inclined surface (side) of the wheel. This is because it can provide better directional control than moving the display to the plane of rotation of the wheel.

  The orientation of the scroll wheel device 218 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B can be varied to correspond to the desired display mode direction. Accordingly, the scroll wheel device 218 shown in FIG. 2A faces in a direction that matches the vertical scroll direction indicated by the vertical scroll bar 210 shown above. Similarly, the scroll wheel device 218 shown in FIG. 2B is oriented to match the horizontal scroll direction indicated by the vertical scroll bar 210 shown thereon, which is from the display of FIG. 2A. The direction is about 90 °. Further, as will be described below, the scroll wheel device 218 may be a control device used to control switching of the direction display mode of the tablet PC 201. Accordingly, in a single step of changing the direction of the scroll wheel device 218 from the first position to the second position, the user can switch the orientation of the display together with the orientation of the scroll wheel device 218 that controls the direction.

  FIG. 4 illustrates a method for switching the orientation of an image on a tablet PC display from a first orientation (eg, portrait mode) to a second orientation (eg, landscape mode) according to the present invention. FIG. As an example, if the user wishes to switch the input direction of the scroll wheel device 218 that controls the display direction for use in the landscape mode shown in FIG. 2B using the tablet PC 201 in the portrait mode shown in FIG. 2A. Assume. According to the method 410 shown in FIG. 4 and the tablet PC 201 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the tablet PC 201 performs step 412 to display the document in a first direction on the display screen. The user can scroll the document shown on the display screen by rotating the scroll wheel of the scroll wheel device 218. In step 414, the tablet PC 201 receives a command from the scroll wheel device 218 to scroll the document according to the direction of the roll, the roll speed, and the amount of roll the user applies to the wheel. In step 416, the tablet PC 201 responds to the command by scrolling the document displayed as desired by the scroll wheel device 218 (eg, scrolling the document vertically).

  To change the direction of the display and the direction of the direction control, the user rotates the scroll wheel device 218 by 90 °. Thus, in step 418, the tablet PC 201 detects the movement of the direction input device from the first position to the second position. In response to detecting the movement of the scroll wheel device 218, at step 420, the tablet PC 201 displays the document in a landscape mode that is about 90 degrees from the portrait mode. When the user rotates the scroll wheel of scroll wheel device 218 in a new orientation, the document shown in FIG. 2B moves up or down relative to the document.

  In other embodiments, the directional input device has a plurality of rotational directions, such as an orientation between zero and 180 degrees and an orientation between zero and 360 degrees. The direction input device can be rotated from the first position to one or more second positions oriented from about 5 degrees to about 175 degrees, with the display having a corresponding orientation position. These second positions include stepwise orientations between zero and 180 degrees, such as positions that are 5 degrees from each other.

  In other embodiments, the operation of the directional input device changes in response to changes in the display direction. For example, the user can change the orientation of the display 180 degrees using on-screen instructions, shortcut keys or other mechanisms. The operation of the direction input device can be logically changed in response to changes in the direction of the display so that the direction input is changed correspondingly. As an example, if the directional input device includes a scroll wheel, rotation of the scroll wheel in the first direction will scroll or rotate the display upward while it is in the first direction. Rotate the scroll wheel in the first direction by placing it about 180 degrees from the first display orientation instead of continuing to scroll up the display when the display changes to the second display orientation To scroll the display downward. Therefore, the functional direction can be changed without changing the physical direction of the direction control (input) device (direction control device).

<Direction input device>
3A to 3F are diagrams showing a scroll wheel device. It can be used as an input device on the tablet PC 201. As shown in FIG. 3A, the scroll wheel device 318 can be structurally integrated with the tablet PC 201 and can be disposed substantially within the display housing 220. It is located near the corner of the display housing 220, which allows it to be placed conventionally for both portrait mode and landscape mode. For example, in the example shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the scroll wheel device 218 is arranged along the left side of the tablet PC 201 in both directions. This configuration allows the stylus 204 to be used with the right hand while scrolling the scroll wheel using the left hand.

  The scroll wheel device 318 is ergonomically positioned at a desired grip position and is configured for a user to operate the wheel with the thumb or other finger of their grip hand. The scroll wheel device 318 can be moved to conform to the user's specific shape, or it can be repositioned (not shown). Multiple scroll wheel devices hold the tablet PC and provide the user with a choice to scroll the display, or at different positions on the tablet PC to provide a tablet PC shape corresponding to the left and right fingers. Be placed. In such multiple scroll wheel embodiments (not shown), the user can select an “active” scroll wheel device that can control the display direction. Further, in such multiple scroll wheel embodiments, the user can simply activate a scroll wheel device having a desired direction input and corresponding display orientation, rather than changing the direction of the direction input device. Can do. For example, the user can switch from portrait mode to landscape mode by activating a landscape-oriented scroll wheel device, which automatically activates the previously used portrait-oriented scroll wheel device. . Individual scroll wheel devices are activated via contact sensors or proximity sensors in each device that detect human contact with the device.

  Returning to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3A-3F, FIG. 3A is an enlarged view of the direction input device of the stylus-based computer shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The scroll wheel device 318 shown in FIG. 3A includes a rotatable scroll wheel 320 and a contact surface 322 for interfacing with a finger or thumb and dial 324. This contact surface 322 is generally flush with the surface of the display housing 220 or penetrates an opening 352 in the display housing 220 so that a recess is provided thereunder. The contact surface 322 has a generally finger- or thumb-sized dish shape that slopes downward from its periphery near the surface of the display housing 220. Providing a recess in the contact surface 322 can suppress improper activation or movement of the scroll, which is provided so that its top surface is near or below the surface of the display housing 220. It can be placed in a dish. The dish shape for the contact surface 322 suggests the placement of a thumb or finger to the user of the tablet PC and can assist the user by placing the scroll wheel device 318 with the feeling for that. The dial 324 passes through a slot on the side of the display housing 220 and rotates the scroll wheel device 318 by sliding contact with the dial, such as by a user sliding a finger along the edge of the display housing 220. Enable. Dial 324 is attached to turntable 326, which rotatably attaches scroll wheel device 318 within display housing 220.

  FIG. 3B is a schematic perspective view of the scroll wheel device of the direction input device shown in FIG. 3A, and is a schematic perspective view of the scroll wheel device 318 showing functional parts of the turntable 326 and the scroll wheel device. 3C is a schematic end view of the direction input device shown in FIG. 3A.

  The scroll wheel 320 is shown reduced in size in FIG. 3B to assist by showing other components. A wide variety of scroll wheel devices, such as a scroll wheel device having a single axis, as well as a wide variety of other directional input devices such as sweep sensors can be used.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the functional components of the tilt scroll wheel device 318 are rotatable about the main axis, and the scroll wheel 320 is present and juxtaposed by tilting in the rotating main plane. A scroll wheel 320 is provided that allows for a rotatable motion. The scroll wheel device 318 includes a scroll wheel 320, a rotatable shaft 330 and a concave hub / ball joint 332. Both ends of the rotatable shaft 330 are mounted in support blocks 333 and 335 having cylindrical bearing surfaces. Due to the connection by the ball joint 332, the rotational force applied to the scroll wheel 320 causes the shaft to rotate with respect to the display housing together with the scroll wheel 320, and to the shaft 330 by the lateral rotational force applied to the scroll wheel 320. Rotate to the side. The ball joint portion 332 is fixed to the shaft 330 such that the ball joint portion 332 rotates with the shaft.

  Further, the tiltable scroll wheel device 318 includes a rotation detection system 334, a tilt detection system 336 and an alternating tilt bias system 338. A rotation detection system 334 that detects the rotation of the rotatable scroll wheel 320 includes a disk encoder 340 and an optical pair of separating members 342 and 344. The disk encoder 340 is fixedly attached to the scroll wheel shaft 330. The outer circumference of the encoder wheel is provided with light blocking members spaced apart such as blades 346 spaced at an angle and extending radially. One of the optical pair of separating members is a light source 342 and the other is an optical sensor 344. The rotation of the scroll wheel 320 rotates the shaft 330 and the disk encoder 340 attached thereto. The spaced light blocking member 346 periodically blocks the light path and provides a light pulse when the blade periodically blocks the light path. As the encoder wheel rotates, light from the light source 342 is either (1) transmitted alternately through the aperture or (2) blocked by the encoder wheel material. A pulse of light transmitted through the aperture is detected by an optical sensor 344. In response to the pulse of light, the optical sensor 344 transmits a signal via the cable 360 to a host computer indicating the rotation of the scroll wheel 320 to induce image scrolling relative to the display screen. Further, the detected pulse frequency corresponds to the speed at which the scroll wheel 320 is rotating. Accordingly, the speed at which the scroll wheel 320 is rotating generally corresponds to the speed at which the image scrolls.

  As further shown in FIG. 3B, the tilt detection system 336 includes at least one sensor 321 that determines when the scroll wheel 320 is tilting, which tilt typically passes through the opening 352 in the contact surface 322. This is caused by a lateral force applied to the part of the scroll wheel 320 that moves. The scroll wheel device 318 includes a circuit such as a controller (not shown) for interpreting the output from the sensor 321, converts the output into an electronic signal, and sends the signal to the host computer. A controller is a known component or combination of components that can perform these functions. In one embodiment, the controller includes a microprocessor connected to a sensor 321 that generates a signal for the host computer that indicates when the scroll wheel 320 is moving sideways.

  Another example for the tilt detection system 336 is the tilt bias system 338 shown in FIG. 3C. The tilt bias system 338 includes a carriage 350 that receives a lower portion of the scroll wheel 320 on the side of the scroll wheel 320 opposite the opening 352 of the contact surface 322. The carriage 350 includes side walls 354 facing both sides of the bottom of the scroll wheel 320. The side walls 354 are separated by a small gap 356, such as 0.1 mm. When the scroll wheel 320 is tilted, it moves slightly and engages the side wall 354 on the side of the carriage 350 where the scroll wheel 320 is tilted. This small gap 356 allows sufficient tilt response without causing drag on the scroll wheel 320 when rotating along the axis 330. The carriage 350 moves by sliding linearly as the scroll wheel 320 moves. When movement of the carriage 350 is detected, an appropriate signal is sent to the microprocessor, causing side scrolling of the displayed document. The carriage 350 is connected to a slide potentiometer 358 that is attached to a turntable 326. Slide potentiometer 358 detects the amount of movement and provides a corresponding electrical resistance value. Carriage 350 is displaced toward the center position by slide potentiometer 358 or other biasing mechanism to cause scroll wheel 320 to return to its intermediate position.

  In the case of the sliding carriage of FIG. 3C, separate contact sensors 362 such as contact switches are provided on both sides of the scroll wheel 320 and the carriage 350. The contact sensor 362 detects when the scroll wheel 320 is tilted to a predetermined position that indicates when the scroll wheel 320 is tilted. In another configuration of the present invention (not shown), the sensor that tilts the tilting motion of the scroll wheel 320 through the sliding motion of the carriage 350 includes a strain gauge, a force plate, and a pressure sensor for determining the lateral motion of the carriage 350. It has.

  Overall, each sensor of the scroll wheel device detection system is connected to a microprocessor for generating electrical signals that control the position of the image relative to the display screen. The generated signal controls the scrolling of the displayed image along the X and / or Y axis in response to forces to rotate and / or tilt the scroll wheel 320 sideways. The signal scrolls the image in a manner consistent with the direction of the applied force, i.e. left or right and the magnitude of the force. Other embodiments may include a force sensor for detecting a force applied downward to the scroll wheel 320 indicating that the user clicks or indicates a selection.

  As shown in FIG. 3C, the turntable 326 is rotatably mounted within the housing 220 in any suitable manner. For example, the turntable shaft 364 is received in a known sleeve and bearing arrangement (not shown) for supporting the rotating shaft, which rotates the housing 220 to allow the turntable 326 to rotate. It is attached to support the inner structure. In other embodiments, the turntable shaft 364 is connected to an additional motor 365 that is responsive to changes in the orientation of the display or in response to commands to change the orientation of the display. The turntable 326 is mechanically swung. The cable 360 is attached to the turntable 326, which can be applied to receive commands such as tilt and scroll information, passive force and irradiation commands for the light source 366 attached to the scroll wheel device. Allows the scroll wheel device to cooperate. As described below in connection with FIG. 7, the present invention includes illuminating a directional input device, providing a directional indicator, and recognizing control location and / or system status information. The light source 366 can be used in connection with these aspects of the invention.

  The dial 324 is shown attached to the turntable 326 to allow the user to rotate the scroll wheel device 318 when desired. The user can rotate the dial 324 by sliding contact with the portion of the dial that penetrates the slot in the edge region of the housing 220 of the tablet PC 201. The rotation of the scroll wheel device is between two stable positions, which have directions that are about 90 ° apart. Such as a third stable position oriented approximately 180 ° from the first position, a fourth orientation disposed between about 5 and 85 degrees from the first orientation, and a position indicating an additional orientation. Other orientations are possible. Electrical contact is made at one or both of the end positions reported to the system to automatically change the orientation of the information display. For example, electrical contact 372 on dial 324 can complete the circuit with electrical contact 374 attached to housing 220. This can indicate that the scroll wheel device is pointing to one identified position of a stable position. Other position sensors are also used to monitor the orientation of the scroll wheel device, such as a proximity sensor (not shown) or a magnetic sensor (not shown) attached to the housing 220 or the scroll wheel device. The proximity of the corresponding device is detected on the wheel device. When the scroll wheel device is positioned at one corresponding position of the stable position, it is brought into the stable position via a detent member 376 attached to the housing 220 that engages a recess on the dial 324. It can also be retained. Other mechanisms for biasing and / or holding the scroll wheel device 318 within a pre-set orientation, such as mutually projecting portions (not shown) that engage each other when approaching a stable position Can also be used.

  As shown in FIGS. 3D-3F, rotation of the scroll wheel device 318 between these two positions can be assisted by an over center force mechanism, such as a spring damper 380, for which a connector 368 is provided. Is shown in As shown in FIG. 3E, rotating the scroll wheel device 318 approximately 45 degrees causes it to “over-center” and continue to rotate the remaining 45 degrees on itself. The spring damper 380 uses a compression spring 382 having a damper 384 to bias the scroll wheel device 318 toward one of the stable positions. The damper 384 is an asymmetric damper that buffers the expansion of the compression spring 382 without buffering the compression of the compression spring 382. In this way, the damper 384 can soften the rotation of the scroll wheel device 318 during the remainder of its rotation and reduce the possibility of snapping to its new position. The damper 384 is asymmetric so that the dial 324 does not face the rotation of the user. A spring damper 380 with or without a holding mechanism can be used to hold the scroll wheel device 318 in a stable position, such as a detent member 376 or rotation limiter. The spring damper 380 can be applied to act as a holding mechanism and / or a rotation limiting portion without using these mechanisms. Moreover, it can act as a rotation restricting part through a restricting part provided on its extensibility. It also acts as a holding mechanism by biasing the scroll wheel device 318 to one of the stable positions and providing sufficient extension force to reduce the possibility of unexpected rotation from the stable position. Can do.

  5A and 5B are views showing an embodiment of a direction control (input) device according to the present invention. FIG. 5A is a fingerprint scanner according to the present invention showing a platen moving in a direction away from a default position. FIG. 5B is a plan view showing another embodiment of the direction input device including the fingerprint scanner input device shown in FIG. 5A.

  Direction control (input) device 518 is similar to direction control (input) devices 218 and 318 except that it includes an optical scanner 518 such as a fingerprint scanner having a slidable platen 520. Below the slidable platen 520 is an optical scan head (not shown), which is a biometric measurement of a person's finger placed on top of the platen window 522 as a series of scan lines. Capture the image. The computer system monitors the movement of the platen 520 to detect directional input, and the optical scan head can detect the presence of the user's finger. Thus, the optical scanner 518 is intended to be used with a tablet PC, personal computer, PDA or other device having multiple display orientations. FIG. 5B shows a slidable optical scanner mounted on the turntable in the housing 220 of the tablet PC 201 as well as the scroll wheel device 318. The slidable optical scanner 518 can be rotated so that the sliding orientation can correspond to the orientation of the display and / or the orientation of the display can be changed.

  6A and 6B are plan views showing another embodiment of the direction input device according to the present invention. A direction control (input) device 618 similar to the direction input devices 218, 318 and 518 described above is shown except that the orientation of the direction input device does not change to change the orientation of the display or the direction input. . Rather, the direction indicator 620 moves between the orientation of the display and the corresponding orientation input direction. This movement of the direction indicator 620 moves the display direction correspondingly, but the direction of the input sensor 622 itself does not change. This is because the input sensor 622 receives input in a plurality of directions. However, the direction indicator 620 provides input in a direction that is substantially along the direction of the direction indicator 620 to limit user input.

  The directional control (input) device 618 includes a touch pad and / or a sweep pad 622, which are known in the art for detecting user contact and movement on the pad. ing. The pad 622 can detect movement in multiple movements and need not be rotated to change the direction of the input detected thereon. However, it is desirable to limit the user's input on the pad in a particular direction to receive scroll input. For example, it is easier and less expensive to install a small touch or sweep pad 622 on the housing 220 to provide scrolling functionality than installing a scroll wheel device. Thus, the directional control (input) device 618 includes a rotatable cover 624 that covers a portion of the pad 622 so that only substantial directional input is available to the user. The rotatable cover 624 selectively shows a direction indicator 620 for indicating the direction of the direction input. However, the exposed directional portion 626 of the pad 622 simply indicates the orientation for directional input. A rotatable cover 624 can be attached to a turntable similar to the turntable 326 to allow the user to rotate the cover 624. The rotation of the cover 624 changes the orientation of the display in the same manner as in the previous embodiment. In other embodiments, the pad 622 can be movably attached to rotate along the turntable.

  FIG. 7 is a plan view showing still another embodiment of the direction input device according to the present invention. A direction control (input) device 718 similar to the direction control (input) device described above is shown. However, the direction control (input) device 718 includes an illuminated direction indicator 720 that is illuminated to indicate the current orientation of the display and direction control. Further, the cover 722 of the directional control (input) device 718 is made of a light transmitting material such as polycarbonate, which allows light from a lamp (eg, lamp 366 shown in FIG. 3C) to pass through and freely diffuse through the cover. Is done.

  Cover 722, turn indicator 720, and / or other scales are illuminated to recognize various system conditions. For example, the cover 722 is illuminated by a first color lamp, such as a green lamp, when the system starts up and when it is fully operational. When the system has certain conditions, such as low battery conditions, it is illuminated by a second color lamp (eg, red). The lamp irradiates in response to a certain user's operation. For example, the cover is illuminated when detecting a finger or thumb near the cover. Also, the cover and / or turn indicator may indicate system status in other ways, such as blinking, during an error condition.

  The invention has been described with reference to its illustrative embodiments. Various other embodiments, modifications and changes within the scope of the appended claims and their spirit will be made by those skilled in the art from this disclosure. In particular, it is implemented on a wide range of computing devices including personal computers, mobile devices, PDAs and mobile terminals. Furthermore, the present invention functions on a computer device such as a mouse having a scroll wheel input that moves from a first orientation to a second orientation with a mouse, or a keyboard having an integrated directional control (input) device that moves between orientations. Can be used in conjunction with an associated stand-alone directional control.

1 is a schematic diagram of a typical general purpose digital computing environment that can be used to implement various aspects of the present invention. 1 is a plan view of a stylus-based computer having a first display direction according to the present invention. FIG. 2B is a plan view of the stylus-based computer shown in FIG. 2A having a second display direction according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a direction input device of the stylus-based computer shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. FIG. It is a schematic perspective view of the scroll wheel device of the direction input device shown in FIG. 3A. 3B is a schematic end view of the direction input device shown in FIG. 3A. FIG. 3B is a schematic plan view of the direction input device of FIG. 3A showing the movement of the direction input device from the first direction to the second direction according to the present invention. FIG. 3B is a schematic plan view of the direction input device of FIG. 3A showing the movement of the direction input device from the first direction to the second direction according to the present invention. FIG. 3B is a schematic plan view of the direction input device of FIG. 3A showing the movement of the direction input device from the first direction to the second direction according to the present invention. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the method for switching the direction of an image on the display of tablet PC from the 1st direction (for example, portrait mode) which concerns on this invention to the 2nd direction (for example, landscape mode). 1 is a perspective view of a fingerprint scanner input device according to the present invention showing a platen moving away from a default position. FIG. It is a top view which shows the other Example of the direction input device provided with the fingerprint scanner input device shown to FIG. 5A. It is a top view which shows the other Example of the direction input device which concerns on this invention. It is a top view which shows the other Example of the direction input device which concerns on this invention. It is a top view which shows other Example of the direction input device which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

100 personal computer 101 keyboard 102 input device 106 serial port interface 107 monitor 108 video adapter 109 remote computer 110 processing unit 111 memory 112 local area network 113 wide area network 114 network interface 115 modem 120 system memory 130 system bus 140 read only memory (ROM) )
150 Random Access Memory (RAM)
160 Basic Input / Output System (BIOS)
162 Removable Optical Disk 165 Digitizer 166 Stylus 180 Magnetic Disk Drive 190 Magnetic Disk 191 Optical Disk Drive 192 Hard Disk Interface 193 Magnetic Disk Drive Interface 194 Optical Drive Interface 195 Operating System 196 Application Program 197 Other Program Modules 198 Program Data 201 Tablet PC
202 Digitizing display screen (display)
204 Stylus 205 Area 208 Text document 210 Vertical scroll bar 212 Horizontal scroll bar 214 Header menu 216 Toolbar 218, 318 Scroll wheel device (direction input device)
220 Housing 320 Scroll wheel 321 Sensor 322 Contact surface 324 Dial 326 Turntable 330 Shaft 332 Hub / ball joint 333, 335 Support block 334 Rotation detection system 336 Inclination detection system 338 Alternate inclination bias system 340 Disc encoder 342, 344 Separating member ( 342; light source, 344; light sensor)
346 Light block member (blade)
350 Carriage 352 Opening 354 Side wall 356 Gap 358 Slide potentiometer 360 Cable 362 Contact sensor 364 Turntable shaft 365 Motor 366 Light source 368 Connector 372, 374 Electrical contact 376 Detent member 380 Spring damper 382 Compression spring 384 Dampers 518, 618, 718 Direction control ( Input) device 518 optical scanner 522 platen window 520 platen 620, 720 direction indicator 622 input sensor (touch pad and / or sweep pad)
624 Rotating cover 626 Direction part 722 Cover

Claims (41)

In a system for displaying images in multiple orientations,
A processor that forms a renderable image in a first orientation;
A display showing the image in the first orientation;
A direction input device movable between a first position related to the orientation of the first display and a second position related to the orientation of the second display.   When the direction input device is movable from the first position to the second position, the processor forms the renderable image in the second orientation, and the display displays the image in the second position. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is shown in an orientation.   When the display changes to show the image in a second orientation, the directional functionality of the directional input device is changed from the first directional functionality related to the orientation of the first image to the second orientation. The system of claim 1, wherein the system changes to a second directional functionality related to image orientation.   The second orientation is about 180 degrees from the first orientation, and the second directional functionality is about 180 degrees from the first directional functionality. The described system.   The system according to claim 1, wherein the direction input device comprises a turntable capable of rotating the direction input device from the first position to the second position.   6. The system of claim 5, wherein the direction input device comprises a motor that mechanically rotates the direction input device from a first position to a second position.   The system according to claim 6, wherein the direction input device includes a scroll wheel that rotates between the first position and the second position.   The direction input device includes a biasing member that leaves the turntable in the first position, and the turntable rotates when the turntable rotates away from the first position to the second position. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the table continues to rotate to the second position.   The system of claim 8, wherein the biasing member comprises a compression spring and a damper.   The system according to claim 1, wherein the direction input device includes a stationary input sensor and a direction indicator that is movable between the first position and the second position.   The system according to claim 10, wherein the stationary input sensor includes any one of a touch pad and a sweep sensor.   The system according to claim 10, wherein the direction indicator comprises a pointer for recognizing a main control direction for the direction input device.   The system of claim 10, wherein the direction indicator comprises a light source.   The system according to claim 13, wherein the light source emits a pointer that recognizes a main control direction of the direction input device.   14. The system of claim 13, wherein the direction indicator has a light transmission contact surface and the light source illuminates the light transmission contact surface.   The system according to claim 13, wherein the light source emits light according to a state of the system.   The system according to claim 1, wherein the direction input device includes a fingerprint reader, a touch pad, a sweep sensor, and a scroll wheel.   The system according to claim 1, wherein the direction input device includes a contact surface and a contact sensor.   The system according to claim 18, wherein the contact sensor includes one of a proximity sensor and a touch sensor.   The system of claim 1, wherein the first orientation of the image is between about 0 degrees and about 180 degrees from the second orientation.   21. The system of claim 20, wherein the first orientation of the image is between about 0 degrees and about 90 degrees from the second orientation.   21. The system of claim 20, wherein the first orientation of the image is 90 degrees from the second orientation. In the direction input device that scrolls the image with respect to the display screen and indicates the direction of the display image, the movable control unit includes:
A directional input sensor for detecting a user command for scanning an image in a first orientation relative to the display screen;
Providing a visual indication of the orientation of the image and a scanning direction for scanning the image, movable between a first position and a second position, wherein the first position is a first of the display image; A direction input device comprising: a direction indicator which is related to the orientation of the display image and the second position is related to the second orientation of the display image.   The direction input device according to claim 23, further comprising a turntable capable of rotating the direction indicator from the first position to the second position.   25. The direction input device according to claim 24, further comprising a biasing mechanism that biases the direction indicator toward one of the first position and the second position.   The direction input device according to claim 25, wherein the direction input sensor includes a scroll wheel device having a scroll wheel, and the direction indicator includes a visible portion of the scroll wheel.   A pan portion disposed around the scroll wheel, the scroll wheel having an upper portion of the scroll wheel disposed on a bottom portion of the pan portion, and a bottom portion of the scroll wheel being a bottom portion of the pan portion; 27. The direction input device according to claim 26, wherein the direction input device penetrates through a bottom portion of the dish portion so as to be disposed underneath.   The direction input device according to claim 23, wherein the direction input device comprises a pointer for recognizing a main control direction for the direction input device. In a method for switching the orientation of an image on a display screen from a first orientation to a second orientation,
Displaying an image in a first orientation on the display screen;
Receiving from the direction input device a first scanning command including a command for scanning the content shown in the image from an upper position to a lower position;
Scanning the content in a first orientation relative to the display and in response to receiving a scan command;
Displaying the image in a second orientation on the display screen in response to detecting movement of the directional input device from the first orientation. Receiving a second scanning command from the directional input device, the second scanning command including a command for scanning the content from the upper position to the lower position;
Scanning the content in a second orientation in response to receiving the scan command, wherein the second orientation is substantially the same as the first orientation in response to the content. 30. The method of claim 29, wherein:   30. The method of claim 29, wherein in the step of displaying the image in the second orientation, the second orientation is rotated approximately 90 degrees from the first orientation.   30. The method of claim 29, wherein in displaying the image in the second orientation, the second orientation is rotated approximately 180 degrees from the first orientation.   30. The method of claim 29, comprising illuminating the directional input device.   30. The method of claim 29, wherein the irradiating step comprises detecting a system state and selecting a first irradiation state based on the system state. In a computer readable medium having stored thereon a program for switching the orientation of an image on a display screen from a first orientation to a second orientation,
Displaying an image in a first orientation on the display screen;
Receiving from the direction input device a first scanning command including a command for scanning the content shown in the image from an upper position to a lower position;
Scanning the content in a first direction with respect to the display and in response to receiving a scan command;
Detecting a movement of the direction input device from a first position to a second position;
Displaying an image in a second orientation on the display screen in response to detecting movement of the directional input device, the second orientation being rotated at least ten degrees from the first orientation; A computer-readable medium comprising: Receiving from the directional input device a second scanning command including a command to scan the content from the upper position to the lower position;
Scanning the content in a second direction in response to receiving the scan command, wherein the second direction is substantially the same as the first direction with respect to the content. 36. The computer readable medium of claim 35, wherein the computer readable medium is substantially rotated by more than 10 degrees from the first direction relative to the display.   36. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein in the step of displaying an image in the second orientation, the second orientation is rotated approximately 90 degrees from the first orientation.   36. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein in the step of displaying an image in the second orientation, the second orientation is rotated approximately 180 degrees from the first orientation.   36. The computer readable medium of claim 35, comprising illuminating the directional input device.   The method according to claim 39, wherein the irradiation step includes a step of detecting a system state, and a step of selecting a first irradiation state from a plurality of irradiation states based on the system state. In a system that displays images in multiple orientations,
A processor for forming a renderable image in a first direction;
A display showing the image in a first direction;
A direction input device movable between a first position related to the orientation of the first display and a second position related to the orientation of the second display, wherein the orientation of the first display is: Arranged at 90 degrees from the direction of the second display, the direction input device,
A turntable that allows the direction input device to rotate from the first position to the second position;
A direction input sensor for detecting a user command to scan the image in a first direction relative to the display;
Providing a visual indication of the orientation of the image for scanning the image and a scanning direction for scanning the image, movable between the first position and the second position, wherein the first position is A direction indicator associated with a first orientation of the display image, wherein the second position is associated with a second orientation of the display image;
When the direction input device is movable from the first position to the second position, the processor forms the renderable image in the second orientation, and the display displays the image in the second position. A system characterized by showing the direction.

Images